The Incidence Rate of HIV Infection in Women Within an Urban Emergency Department Setting and Its Correlation With Substance Abuse

Abstract

By Alexander Larger, Social Work

Advisor: Gary Dick

Abstract: The aim of this study sought to determine the incidence rate of HIV infection in women and its correlation with substance abuse. Cincinnati has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the state of Ohio and women are often being overlooked for HIV screening because they are not in the current emphasized groups. This is a cross-sectional observational study that is utilizing the Early Intervention Program's (EIP) data from the beginning of 2015 to the end of 2019. All participants were previously approached by the EIP program and consented to a rapid HIV testing and to completing a risk assessment. Data analyses consisted of descriptive statistics, correlations, and chi square tests. The results indicate that the Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) resulted in women being more than 3 times as likely to contract HIV on average.